


Happy Holidays

by archaeologist_d



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Canon Era, Canon Universe, Drunk Sex, During Canon, Gay Sex, M/M, Oral Sex, Sex, Sexy Times, Yuletide, arthur is being an arse, merlin has a book, merlin loves it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:20:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22034710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archaeologist_d/pseuds/archaeologist_d
Summary: Getting drunk with Merlin wasn’t an everyday thing, but waking up with Merlin’s prick up Arthur’s arse after the Yule feast was a surprise.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 326
Collections: Camelot Drabble -- Holiday Exchange Fest 2019





	Happy Holidays

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fifty_fifty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fifty_fifty/gifts).



He wasn’t quite awake. The cock nudging into him felt huge and welcome and he pushed back onto it, feeling it slide in past oil and come and the remnants of whatever they had done last night. He remembered, half-remembered, not really remembered who was in his bed just then, but whoever it was obviously knew what he was doing.

Arthur probably should find out. But then there was more movement, that hard cock sliding in a little further, almost as if it were searching for that perfect spot inside him.

When it did, sparks of pleasure and growing ecstasy gathered in Arthur’s belly and prick. Everything seemed to intensify, the eagerness, lust, his cock growing larger, harder by the moment as that mystery cock hit that glorious spot inside Arthur again and again. Arthur grunted a little, murmuring, “Oh, there, just there.”

There was a breath against his neck, a bit of laughter, then a warm hand skimmed past his hip and curled around Arthur’s prick and began to pull a little, twisting just right, smearing pleasure and oil across skin so sensitive Arthur thought he’d fly away with each thumb stroke. The man was amazing. His hand drew out a rhythm that seemed to echo between Arthur’s cock and his nub inside, each building on the other, each trying to spiral out of control and into rapture and not quite there yet, but growing, growing.

Arthur was a willing prisoner in all this, legs tangled, his body held down by a solid chest against his back, a cock spearing him over and over again. As Arthur lay there, the man above him, busy fucking him into oblivion, bit him in the joint between neck and shoulder, using his tongue to soothe the pain.

It was enough to send Arthur over the edge.

Going on for an eternity, Arthur thought he’d die of the pleasure. It was not enough and too much and that brilliant cock inside him seemed to swell and pulse until all Arthur could do was groan and spill out his ecstasy into talented hands.

Breathless, his heart beating so hard he thought it would escape his chest, held down by a huge prick that had driven him into pleasure/pain/pleasure and the most intense orgasm he’d ever known, as he started to come down from that high, whoever it was who held him there, wasn’t done.

There was a sigh against Arthur’s back, another bite at his neck, harder, then sucking and muttering against his skin. A final push, and as the man stilled and poured out his ecstasy, he groaned a single word. “Arthur.”

Arthur knew that voice. Shit.

It was Merlin.

Arthur couldn’t quite shove him off. Merlin’s hard cock was still mostly inside Arthur, but a few moments later, Merlin sat there on the floor, looking a bit addle-brained, and Arthur kneeling on the bed.

Never mind that Arthur was naked and that there was come and oil leaking out of his hole and bite marks starting to make themselves felt in bruises and ache. And the aftershocks of pleasure still sparking across his skin. And his arse reminding him of what they’d just done.

But Arthur shouted anyway. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Merlin just blinked up at him a moment, as if he was still half-caught up in ecstasy, then he shook his head, and scrambled away. He got past the chamber pot, knocking against it. Luckily, nothing spilled out. He backed up, gathering clothes and anger in his wake.

“Well, you asked me to, you clotpole.” When Arthur just stared at him in disbelief, Merlin narrowed his eyes. “At the Yule feast, you were drunk and asked me to come up to help you undress.” He looked away, then started to put his breeches on, hopping a little as he did. “I was ummm… a bit under the weather, too, so I don’t….”

“Don’t what, you idiot?” Arthur wasn’t having any of it.

“Remember much. There was snow and songs about the Yule log, and a lot of peeing in the snow. I think we had a… contest?” Merlin found his socks, and started to sit down on the bed, but Arthur sent him such a glare that Merlin backed off. “Then you said we should get naked and… I think we did?”

“Well, it’s obvious we did, you utter imbecile. But who gave you permission to… to… I can’t even say it.” Arthur roared.

“You did, you arse. You pinned me down and kissed me and then, well, things got heated.” Merlin glared back at him. “I thought it was something you wanted.”

“Why would I want that?”

Arthur knew as soon as he said it, that it was the wrong thing to say. Never mind that Merlin had been incredible, and in the back of his mind, Arthur wanted to do things with him, intense things, things that involved cocks and mouths and finding out how to make Merlin beg for it. As often as possible.

And further back in his mind, he wasn’t sure he hadn’t forced Merlin into it with the whole pinning him down thing. Which wasn’t good.

Merlin stood there in shock, his mouth open. Face stiffening, his eyes, at first, were full of fury and then saddened. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

Gathering up his tunic and boots, Merlin bowed. “Forgive me, my lord. It won’t happen again.”

Before Arthur could say another word, the door opened and closed, and Merlin was gone.

Shit.

* * *

The silence was deafening.

Usually Merlin chattered all the time, but especially during and after the holidays, talking about servants exchanging gifts and the carrying-on and mischief in the castle, the decorations and the feasts, filling the air with noise and nonsense. Arthur found it amusing, comforting, and he missed it more than he thought possible when Merlin stopped.

Now, it was ‘yes, sire’ and ‘no, sire’ although it sounded more like ‘eat shit and die, sire.’

Never mind that Arthur started to have dreams, those kinds of dreams, with Merlin in the starring role. Taking Merlin in the bath, holding him down on Arthur’s bed, having him suck Arthur off as he sat on his father’s throne, tying Merlin up and shoving his cock down Merlin’s throat or pumping into that scrumptious arse of his. Taking Merlin in a thousand different ways, being taken by him in a thousand more.

It was getting serious. His concentration was abysmal. Even the snowball fights weren’t fun. Gwaine got past his guard, had Arthur pelted and snow-covered in a minute flat. It had to stop.

When he got back to his chambers, Merlin was on his knees washing the floor. It was a good look on him, all that wiggling of a tempting arse, his forearms bare, his long fingers wet. But he didn’t look up when Arthur came in the door, just stopped a second, then started back again scrubbing even harder than before.

Arthur didn’t say anything, at least not for a little while, just kept watching Merlin work. It didn’t help that he was half-hard remembering what they’d done in the morning after Yule, the bliss that was Merlin’s cock pushing into Arthur, the way Merlin bit Arthur’s neck, then soothed it with his tongue. He wanted that tongue to soothe other things, too, but it didn’t seem likely unless Arthur made things right between them.

When Merlin was done, started to pick up the bucket and leave, Arthur said, “I want a bath. See to it.”

“Do you know how hard it is to heat water up in this cold, you….” Merlin must have realized what he’d done, because in the next moment, face hardening, he said, “Yes, my lord. Will there be anything else?”

“Get me get out of this armor. And I’ll want a good scrub so you’ll remain behind to wash my back.” Never mind that he’d never asked Merlin to do it before.

Merlin scowled at that. He must have sensed something was up because his eyes flicked down to Arthur’s groin, a moment. Then, colouring, he turned away, calling for the maids to bring hot water, then pulled out the tub and started setting everything up, towels warming by the fire, gathering the soap and soft cloths for washing, clean clothes for later.

As the maids started pouring water into the tub, Merlin unbuckled Arthur’s armor, setting it aside, then removed the chainmail and gambeson. Underneath, his tunic was stuck to his skin, decidedly soaked through from exercise and that damnable snowball fight, but when they were alone again, as Arthur stood there, Merlin pulled the shirt off, then his boots and socks.

Watching Merlin kneeling at Arthur’s feet, his face so close to Arthur’s groin as he worked, his prick swelled even more. Merlin must have noticed because he hesitated a moment before untying Arthur’s breeches. He was breathing hard, too, and even looking down, Arthur could see Merlin’s mouth open, his tongue moistening his lips.

That thought sent a jolt through Arthur and his cock twitched a little, droplets wetting the tip. But he turned away before Merlin could say anything and climbed into the tub.

That seemed to break the spell.

Merlin was all business then, soaping up the cloth and then scrubbing Arthur’s back in sharp, vicious strokes.

Arthur let him, knowing that he deserved it for what he’d said to Merlin that post-Yule morning. But when he felt his skin sufficiently raw, he captured Merlin’s hand, and pulling him around, started to wipe down Arthur’s chest with the cloth and Merlin still holding it.

“My lord?” Merlin said, his voice a mixture of not-quite furious, not-quite sure of what was going on, and a little aroused, too. “I don’t think….”

Arthur ignored the protest, just kept rubbing the cloth on his chest as he said, “Princes don’t apologize. You’ve been at court long enough to know that, but that doesn’t mean they are not wrong at times.” When Merlin didn’t pull away, Arthur breathed a little easier. “Sometimes princes can become confused about what they want, especially after a night in bed with someone they’ve wanted for a long time. Especially if they think they may have wronged that individual. And consequently they might do or say something spectacularly stupid and make things worse.”

Merlin sat up a little, looking as if he was beginning to get a clue. “Do I know this prince?”

“Perhaps.” Arthur let Merlin’s hand go, watched as the cloth fell into the water, and floated there just above his cock. “But while other princes may command favours, may inopportune their servants without regard to their ability to say no, I am not that prince.”

Giving a long, exasperated sigh, Merlin said, “You didn’t inopportune me, you arse. I wanted it as much as you did. More, maybe.” With that, he grabbed the cloth, wrung it out and began to wipe across Arthur’s chest. Never mind that his chest was very clean by then and that his nipples, sensitive as they were, were beginning to peak a bit. “But you could have been nicer.”

“I could have.” Arthur grabbed Merlin’s hand, stopped it just above Arthur’s heart. “If you keep that up, I may want to inopportune you again. More than once.” His eyes flicked down to Merlin’s mouth a moment, then back up again to see eyes blackening with desire. “Merlin?”

Arthur didn’t notice the cloth dropping into the water again because Merlin was ravishing his mouth, quite thoroughly, with teeth biting at a willing lip, and his tongue exploring. There were sounds, too, of longing and lust from them both, mixing with the noise of spilling water as Arthur sat up.

It didn’t matter. Merlin’s hands were busy, twisting one nipple, his other hand curled around Arthur’s erection, warmth and skin and too much and not enough. The idiot was brilliant at pulling out pleasure from the least little touch and Arthur leaned into it, moaning as he did.

There were too many clothes between them, and Arthur, still in the tub, yanked at Merlin’s tunic, trying and failing to get it off him as fast as he could. Finally, Merlin gave a little sound of protest and sat back, pulling his shirt off with ease, then dove back into Arthur’s mouth and skin and oh, Arthur wanted to fly with the brilliance of it.

But gravity wasn’t their friend, and Merlin was clumsy at the best of times. Trying to reach for more of Arthur and slipping, he fell into the tub, tipping it over, and both of them tumbled out. The water went everywhere.

“Oww,” said Merlin and sat up, rubbing his head. His chest was bare, his breeches soaked, and Arthur could see a hard prick straining against the cloth. Merlin looked a bit put out, but he was still flushed from arousal, and Arthur was, too.

Arthur tackled him, pushing him back down into the cooling water, pulling at breeches that refused to unstick, but Arthur wasn’t going to take _no_ from mere cloth. A hard yank, a bit of tearing, and Merlin and his erection were free.

Leaning over him, Arthur licked at Merlin’s skin, following the line of muscle down, down, past his cock to the join between hip and leg, and bit him there, just a nip, an echo of the other night. As Merlin groaned, Arthur smiled a little, then used his tongue as it was meant to be used, to pull ecstasy from Merlin’s cock. Licking it a bit at the slit, then mouthing the head, he bore down until he was nose deep in black hair and let his throat close and open and close.

Merlin let out a yelp, then another deep groan as Arthur pulled up, needing to breathe, and sucking him back down again. Arthur’s fingers were busy, too, exploring Merlin’s hole, pushing in a little, then out again. He didn’t want to do too much, there was no oil nearby, but as he came up for air a third time, he spat onto his fingers and then dove in, fingers pressing inside, searching for that perfect spot, all the while sucking on Merlin’s cock as it swelled and swelled.

When he found it, Merlin was already babbling nonsense, then shouted Arthur’s name as he came.

Arthur swallowed some, then gathered up the rest, and as Merlin lay there, panting, looking as dazed as Arthur had ever seen him, shoved the hot come back into Merlin’s hole.

Merlin panted out, “I can’t, I’m not… ready.” When Arthur just smiled and wiggled his fingers inside, Merlin groaned again. “All right, you prat… but the water’s freezing. Can we… oh, gods above… at least move it… ummm… oh… somewhere warmer?”

Grinning, Arthur grabbed the towels warming by the fire, then he pulled Merlin up and threw him over his shoulder, Merlin sputtering all the way.

And if there was a bit of arse-grabbing on Merlin’s part, Arthur didn’t mind. He just gave Merlin a slap on his bony but fantastic arse, feeling Merlin’s cock move a little in interest, and threw him down onto the bed. He bounced. And so did Arthur as he jumped on the bed after him.

Then there were warm towels rubbing everywhere, and Arthur reaching for the oil because he’d not hurt Merlin even for pleasure. Unless he asked for it.

Merlin was under him, smiling, watching as Arthur played with Merlin’s body, marking Merlin’s ankle with teeth and tongue, another nip on the inside of his thigh, Arthur’s fingers following the lines of muscle up, up, skimming past Merlin’s bollocks, the sensitive area of belly and nipples. There was another pause at Merlin’s neck as Arthur sucked a mark there, a deep one that might last for weeks.

Merlin tried to reciprocate, but Arthur batted his hands away, told him to hold on to the headboard or he’d tie him up and make sure he’d obey. At that, Merlin’s cock jumped a little and Arthur thought that they’d have to explore those possibilities later. 

Mocking, Merlin said, “Yes, my lord.” But he grabbed onto the headboard and held on. His smile spoke of revenge later. Arthur hoped so.

At that, Arthur coated his fingers with oil, drizzled a little onto Merlin’s bollocks, and began to smear it in the soft skin between balls and hole. Tantalizing him, pumping his fingers just in and out, Arthur watched Merlin carefully, pushing pleasure into him, seeing him close his eyes as Arthur played around the edges of his hole and then finding that perfect little nub inside.

Merlin may have protested he wasn’t ready, but his cock told a different story. Hard and leaking, with each touch, it twitched a little. But this time, Arthur didn’t swallow him down. Instead, he moved up, pushing his tongue into Merlin’s mouth, his fingers busy on Merlin’s sensitive nipples, his other hand still drawing pleasure from Merlin’s cock.

Finally, Arthur sat up, his fingers still lingering on Merlin’s prick, his thumb playing with the sensitive skin of Merlin’s belly. Merlin must have thought that Arthur was about to take him from behind. He let go and started to turn.

But Arthur said, “Hands back on the headboard, Merlin. Or I’ve silken ropes to use on you.” He leaned over, his mouth brushing Merlin’s. “I want to see your face when I take you.”

Merlin didn’t say a word, just put his hands back where they were. He was breathing hard, though.

Arthur thought he looked perfect.

Pushing Merlin’s legs apart and up, as he lay there, his body open wide, Merlin seemed a feast or a willing sacrifice to Arthur’s lust. Leaning down, giving Merlin’s cock one last lick, then as he sat up, he shifted close. Arthur reached down to his own cock, slicking it with more oil, and positioning it, shoved it in.

For a moment, he thought Merlin would fight him on this. As Merlin closed his eyes, moaning a little, there was resistance at first around Merlin’s hole, then in the next heartbeat, Arthur was inside.

Flying on warmth and pressure and pleasure, he could barely keep himself from pounding into Merlin, the intensity threatened to overwhelm him. But as Merlin groaned, shoving himself further down onto Arthur’s prick, Arthur pulled almost all the way out and then thrust in again.

Arthur must have found the right spot because Merlin’s cock was growing larger, and he was moaning Arthur’s name. His eyes were closed, his mouth wet with rising ecstasy, and as Arthur brushed his free hand over Merlin’s sensitive nipple and then bit down on it, Merlin let out a desperate cry.

“Don’t come yet, Merlin. Don’t come. Not until I say.”

Impossibly, Merlin nodded, but he was panting hard, his arms shaking with the need to let go, his cock pulsing, pulsing with every heartbeat.

Arthur was chasing his own desire, the intensity coating his skin with sparks of pleasure, his bollocks tightening as his mind soared up and up. In his belly and in his cock, there was brilliance screaming to get out and heat, too, growing ever stronger, so much so that he couldn’t hold out much longer.

He reached down, pulling one last time of Merlin’s cock, his hand growing wet with Merlin’s need. Then as his lips hovered over Merlin’s, he breathed out, “Come for me.”

Merlin arched up, and tried to wail, but Arthur captured his mouth, absorbed the sounds, the desperation, the lust, the love, the ecstasy of it all. 

That sent him over the edge, too, soaring into a sunstorm of pleasure/pain/pleasure that seemed to go on an eternity. He never wanted to come down from it.

When it was over, when lust coated his skin, when the come smeared on their bellies was drying, Merlin was still under him, looking exhausted. His dark lashes fanned out against pale skin, and there was a flush on Merlin’s cheeks. His hair looked like someone had played in it and left it a mess. It was a good look.

Arthur didn’t get up, though, didn’t move aside. He just lay there feeling Merlin breathe, feeling his heart slow, and his trembling legs crossed over the swell of Arthur’s arse. He’d let go of the headboard and was enveloping Arthur in a hug, unconscious though it might be.

Arthur felt captured and loved and safe.

Knowing that they couldn’t go another round for a while, still Arthur was unhappy when his cock slipped out of Merlin. That meant it was over for now and they’d have to come to terms with whatever would happen next.

Arthur didn’t know. But he did know that he wanted more, he wanted all of Merlin and always. He just wasn’t sure Merlin felt the same way.

Under him, there was a sigh and Merlin shoved him off. As he sat up, he reached for a towel and began to clean his belly. Merlin said, “You should lay off the herbed encrusted chicken for a while. I’ll have to put another hole in your belt at this rate.”

Ignoring the other towels within easy reach, Arthur grabbed Merlin’s towel instead. For a moment, Merlin held on, looking as if they had the beginnings of the tug-of-war that might have degraded into more pleasant things, but he suddenly let go. Arthur grinned at that, he’d won the towel after all, then cleaned himself off with it. “Are you saying I’m fat? I’ll have you know I’m fighting fit.”

Merlin just hummed a little. Standing up, looking around for his clothes, he must have realized that he had none fit to wear. “Did you have to ruin my clothes? I’ve only two outfits to my name, and how am I going to get back to Gaius’s chambers in just a wet tunic and no breeches? In the snow. Gods, everyone will know what we’ve done.”

That could be a problem. Arthur’s father wasn’t exactly a paragon of understanding. If he knew that he and Merlin were having an affair of the body – and heart, too, if truth be told, there would be consequences for Merlin. The stocks at the very least, winter notwithstanding, perhaps even dismissal or exile.

Handing Merlin back the dirtied towel and getting a glare in return, he got up, and rummaging through his armoire, threw a worn tunic and breeches at Merlin. “You’re supposed to get my cast-offs anyway. Here, you can keep those.”

“I’m what? My clothes are falling apart and now you tell me.” Merlin scowled but put the clothes on anyway. “You really are an arse.”

Arthur couldn’t disagree. He’d forgotten all about it. His other servants hadn’t lasted more than a few days and then it didn’t matter about the clothes.

Feeling a little guilty, he said, “We’ve established that. But now I’m fixing it so take them. I’ll have more for you next time you do laundry.” He pulled out his clothes, then handed them to Merlin. “You need to dress me. My father expects me for dinner. You are to serve.” Feeling guilty, but knowing there was nothing to be done as his father had commanded it, Arthur said, “Tomorrow, we’ve an important guest so my father insists you be assigned their manservant until they leave.”

The growing disappointment in Merlin’s eyes was hard to watch. “Very well, sire.”

It looked like Merlin was in a hurry to leave. He wasn’t gentle, jerking Arthur’s breeches up and tying the laces with swift yanks, then shoving his tunic on and pulling it down so hard that Arthur thought it might tear.

“I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how he is.”

Merlin didn’t reply.

Arthur didn’t know what was wrong, but something was. Merlin might be miffed about the assignment, but they’d got through it before. Then it hit him. Merlin didn’t know how Arthur felt. He might have even misunderstood just what they’d done and what Arthur planned to do again and again in the future.

Merlin was starting to lace up Arthur’s tunic, but Arthur grabbed his hand, then pulling him to the chair by the fire, forced him to sit down, then towered over him.

“Merlin, we should talk about this.”

For a moment, Merlin looked confused, and then dejected. As he looked away, he said, “What is there to talk about? It’s back to business as usual. You needed a quick fuck. I was there to provide it and now it’s done and I’m back to being a lowly servant.”

“Merlin, no, it wasn’t just… no.” Arthur was horrified. Was that what Merlin thought this was, just a way to empty his bollocks and Merlin the convenient hole for it?

He reached for Merlin, but Merlin jerked back, misery written all over his face. “What else can it be? You’ve not said anything since the morning after Yule. I thought you were ashamed of it, of what we’d done, and you blamed me for it, and then your non-apology and I thought… well, I didn’t know what to think.”

“Merlin….” Arthur wanted to explain but Merlin cut him off.

“You’ve told me often enough that I’m just a crap servant. You can’t really love someone like me, and while it was… brilliant, I can’t do it again, not without… love.”

Merlin started to get up again, but Arthur stopped him, pushing him back down again, then grabbing Merlin’s wrists, holding them steady against the chair arms, keeping Merlin captive. Struggling a moment but unable to get past Arthur’s determination, he finally gave up and sat there, waiting, his eyes blinking rapidly as if trying to hold back tears.

“You are an idiot.” It wasn’t a great way to begin, but Merlin needed to know the truth. “If you think this was just a quick… shag, you must have hit your head repeatedly when you were a child. I can’t fault Hunith for it, so I’m assuming you were as clumsy then as you are now.”

“Gods, you are such a prat.” Merlin tried to shove past him, but Arthur wasn’t having it. He just tightened his grip on Merlin’s arms and held on.

As he leaned over, staring at Merlin’s unhappy face, Arthur said, “Merlin, I’ve offers from kings and lady’s maids and the stable boy down by the Rising Sun. Knights of my father’s age and squires who should know better.” Arthur wanted to kiss him senseless, but Merlin would likely misinterpret it. “This isn’t a one-off. I didn’t want a quick _fuck_ as you so crudely put it.”

“Then what do you want? I can barely keep my head straight with all your commands and non-interest and then you turn around and do this. I’m not a toy you can play with and then discard. I won’t be made a fool just so you can have a good fuck.”

Arthur wanted to hit his head on something or maybe hit Merlin’s head on something to pound some sense into him. “Merlin, I’m only going to say this once because I’ve already told you that princes don’t apologize, and they certainly don’t make grand pronouncements of love.” Merlin stopped trying to push free. He just sat there, frowning up at Arthur. “Well, speechless for once. Listen, then. You have an absolute say in how this is going to go. I’ll not command you to shag or fuck or whatever you want to call this, much as I might want you to.”

At that, Merlin drew in a sharp breath, looking like he wanted to say something, but Arthur shook his head. “And I want to very much. I’ve been less than candid with you because there were issues of you… and I being rats-arsed the first time and I wasn’t sure I hadn’t forced you– which would not be honourable or right. But don’t mistake me. I want you, I want this, more than just once or twice, but a hundred times over.”

Looking as if he’d been pole-axed, Merlin just sat there, mouth open, then blinking said, “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Arthur wanted to give Merlin a hug and throw him back onto the bed and start all over again, but instead, he said, “Understand that I can’t shout about love to the roof-tops. My father would have you thrown into the deepest dungeon and never let you out, but between us, it might be possible. You are still an idiot… and I am still a prince, but together, we might just be something more.”

Nodding, Merlin said, “Two sides of the same coin.”

Arthur didn’t know what to make of that. Instead, he straightened, and pulled up Merlin to stand beside him. “I really do have to go to my father. But later, maybe, you and I could….”

Merlin’s grin was breath-taking, then turned a little playful. “I’ve some books that we could… ummm… use. They’ve pictures and everything.”

Arthur just rolled his eyes. Only Merlin. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a book of pornographic drawings in your room.”

“It’s _cultural_. I found it in the library.” Merlin huffed a little as if horrified to be so maligned, then shrugged and grinned again. “Besides, I needed something to take the edge off after the Yule debacle.”

Merlin was just full of surprises.

“Well, I’ll bow to your obvious expertise in such things. Maybe, tonight, we start on page one and work our way through it.” Arthur gave a little waggle of his eyebrows and Merlin laughed, or rather he giggled but would likely deny it if it was pointed out.

Arthur would point it out later. But first, he gathered Merlin in his arms and gave him a thorough kiss, then let him go.

“A taste of things to come, I think,” Arthur said. “Happy Yule, Merlin.”

Merlin just smiled.

Happy Yule, indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes:  
> Prompt I chose was - Or a canon era twist on this of waking up in Arthur's bed after Yule after drinking too much and inevitably ending up having morning sex, I'd quite like it if this wasn't established relationship, but tentative first steps to getting together. fifty-fifty wanted “Delicious, delicious smut” so I gave it to them.  
> Thanks to the ever-so patient gwylliondream. She’s a star for helping me with this and betaing it so quickly!  
> Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.


End file.
